How your running shoes are weakening your feet

Dynamic roll cages, hyperwire support and gel cushions are all features you'll find on top-of-the-line running shoes. They’re touted as the next big breakthrough in the evolution of the shoe – but is this new technology actually good for us?

For one Wollongong-based podiatrist, the answer is a resolute no.

Tim Brandson, founder of The Running Lab, says most of the running shoe industry is built on marketing, which doesn’t actually address how humans were supposed to run.

"The more you buy into footwear marketing – which is shamefully sold as science in many cases – the further you get from using your own feet and body to be strong and awesome," Brandson told ninemsn Coach.

"Most of the footwear industry does not care about your feet."

The shape of your shoe is (probably) wrong

Brandson explains that a fundamental difference between going barefoot and wearing shoes is the ability of your body to spread (and use) your toes. It turns out that while pointy-toed dress shoes and high heels look fantastic, they're not doing our body any favours.

"Have a look at the shape of the toe region of your running shoes and compare it to the shape of your foot," advises Brandson.

"You will notice your shoe is a triangle and your foot is a rectangle. In fact, the widest part of the human foot, until deformed by footwear, is the toes."

It's a point that may be lost on most footwear companies, but certainly not researchers. In December 2015, scientists from the University of Alabama investigated the rise of patients attending hospital due to wearing shoes with an elevated heel and closed-in toes.

They found that between 2002 and 2012, the rate of high-heel related injuries almost doubled, and that walking with elevated heels reduces range of motion in ankles, balance control and even hips.

A post shared by The Running Lab (@the_running_lab) on Feb 25, 2016 at 1:14am PST

Your highly cushioned running shoes might be making you weaker and more injury-prone

For centuries, humans wore little to nothing on their feet. Archaeologists estimate that the very first leather shoe was made almost 4000 years ago, and consisted of little more than a "foot bag" made from the hide of bears in the hills of Austria.

That's not to say we haven't progressed from there – todays shoes are more durable, lighter, warmer and more protective than ever before. But are they weakening our feet?

"Most highly cushioned shoes are bought by people in pain. Pain is often reduced when you first walk, or run, on these clouds," advises Brandson.

"The cushy rubber will only hide your problem for so long, and the inefficiency of running on marshmallows will often present as a new type of injury down the track."

Brandson argues that it's the very purpose of mainstream running shoes – to support and cushion the foot – that ironically makes our feet weaker over time.

"If you put your arm in a sling or plaster cast for just a few weeks it becomes incredibly weak and dysfunctional – feet are no different," says Brandson.

"If you put your feet in stiff, rigid, supportive shoes (often starting at age 5 for school) they get weak. The weaker your feet get the more supportive a shoe you tend to buy – which starts a cycle of weaker and weaker feet."

The case for barefoot living and training grows

It may seem counter-productive to throw those $140 Nikes back into their box, but there's a huge case for running and living barefoot wherever possible.

Laboratory studies have shown that the energy cost of running – that's the amount of effort you put in to every step – actually reduces by four percent when you're running barefoot.

In 2012, ABC programme Catalyst found that when people run barefoot, they tend to naturally strike the ground on their mid or forefoot, because landing on your heel is painful.

"It's the 23 hours each day that you are not running that cause the most of your injuries," says Brandson.

"There are way more benefits to living barefoot than running barefoot. I am a huge advocate for training the 66 joints of our feet to be strong, powerful springs to carry us through all of life's chores and fun activities."

For Brandson, it's this sheer belief in strengthening the natural foot that's seen him attempt some daring feats. Last year, to demonstrate his teachings, he ran a half-marathon wearing a minimalist running shoe on one foot, and a super thin sandal on the other.

Perhaps even more incredibly, Brandson decided to attack this half-marathon just three weeks prior without any specific training – arguing that the human body was designed to run such long distances at will. After 21.2 kilometres Brandson finished the race with little injury other than an enormous blister on the big toe of his sandal-shod foot.

"Humans have been making simple protective footwear for the soles of their feet for many years. In Africa, leather from animals has been replaced by manmade rubber." says Brandson.

"I personally love running barefoot, mostly because I have spent many years training my feet to be awesome spring-like structures for me to use while running, walking, jumping and lifting heavy things."

"I can’t run barefoot – my feet will get all cut up!"

If you've decided to turf your expensive new runners, you're probably left staring at the lily-white, doughy feet beneath you thinking "how will these survive?"

For Brandson, there's no shame at all in adopting a lightweight shoe to protect your feet – as long as they are thin, flexible and shaped to the human foot.

"The skin on your feet will get tougher over time, and yes, running barefoot on natural terrain is a beautiful thing," says Brandson.

"But if I need some protection from rough or downright dirty terrain, think bush trails full of thorns or city streets on a Sunday morning, I am going to wear thin, flexible shoes.

"Being a 'barefoot runner' should not be a badge of honour leading you to tear the skin of your feet to shreds."